A Normal Day in the Forest
by WanderingSoulofTime
Summary: With all the hope of humanity on their shoulders, you would think Max and Monica are some of the world's most intelligent heroes, right? Well...Not so much, no.


The wrench tightened a loose bolt upon the mechanical frame. Sweat dripped from golden hair, making wet specks upon the dirt. He gave the wrench one firm turn, before he pulled it away, satisfied. A nearby switch was flicked on, as it made a gentle hum, slowly powering up.

A distance away, Monica stayed hidden in the bushes. A skeleton was carrying the Fairy Saw, observing it curiously. Her weapon slowly slid out of its sheath, glinting in the sunlight.

A loud explosion shook through the forest from behind her. She turned around, looking towards the source. Unfortunately, so did the skeleton, who let out a hiss at the sight of the red headed girl. Remembering where she was, she let out a sigh as she prepared her sword. 

The skeleton didn't even have a second to react as the sword shattered its bones. It let out a hiss, before the magic keeping its form intact dissipated, crumbling into fine, white dust. She let out a irritated huff, picking up the Fairy Saw from its remains. She cast her gaze to the source of the explosion, stomping towards it.

Ferns and plants were stomped down, a huff escaping her as she rounded near the tent. A plume of smoke was rising out from it, coughs and sparking of machinery coming from within. She opened the flap of the tent, finding Maximillian by what appeared to be a half exploded barrel. Small fires dance upon his makeshift workspace, as a nearby generator powered down. Nearby, the ridepod say motionlessly, small hints of ash doting its body. The tent walls showed some obvious signs of damage, gaping holes in certain places, while dots of light peeked in from others.

Max waved at the air using his hat, the wrench having fallen into the floor during the ruckus. He opened his watery eyes, only to see Monica, looking angry at him.

"O-oh." Max coughed out, "H-hey Monica." He sputtered out as the air cleared. He rubbed at his eyes, the last of watery tears being rubbed out. "Did you manage to find the saw?"

He response was to hold out the item in question, though she gave him a rather sour look.

"Max." She started, her tone more irritated than angry. "Why does the tent look like it was bombed?"

He blinked at this, looking around at the tent, before a nervous laugh escaped him. "Well…."

"You weren't trying to make explosives again, were you?" She deadpanned.

"Nono, it wasn't that." He said, gesturing to the smoldering remains of the barrel. "I was trying to make a new fuel source for the ridepod is all." She raised an eyebrow, looking at the barrel before turning her attention to Max. "I managed to find a more efficient biofuel that lets the ridepod last longer."

"So...why was there an explosion?"

"Well..." He started, rubbing his head. "Uh...I didn't really want to ruin the energy tank, because I wasn't sure how the new fuel would react to it."

"Uh-huh?" She responded, gesturing for him to go on.

"So I kinda cobbled together a makeshift tank, using some scraps I had laying around."

"So, how did-"

"The new tank wasn't well sealed, so it kinda, ignited all the fuel at once." He said, laughing nervously. She gave him a blank stare, approaching him for a few seconds, their eyes locked in an uncomfortable staring competition. It was broken by her snatching the hat out of Max's hands, smacking him across the head with it. "Ow!"

"Just...try not to bomb yourself again, okay?" She said, frustrated. "We can get more parts Max, but we can't exactly order another one of you, now can we?"

"I mean..not yet!" He joked, earning another smack from her. "Ow!"

"You're lucky I already dealt with a skeleton before coming back." She muttered, before placing the hat on the table nearby. "One last thing Max. Next time you try to run experiments with fuel that could potentially explode." She started, stopping at the entrance to the tent. "Do it outside, please. I'm getting tired of fixing all the tents." With that, she walked off towards her own tent, a small patch of gray contrasting against the otherwise green tent.

 **I'm not dead, been writing. Yay.**


End file.
